Bird & Blend Tea Co.

This was in my caffeine free advent calendar last night. I was surprised I liked it. Chamomile is not a fave. It brewed up very pale, so much so that I let it steep a minute longer than I normally would. The flavor was oddly sweet, but not fake sweet like from stevia. I don’t have a sense of smell, so I don’t taste much, but I could swear that sweetness tasted like black licorice. There is no list of ingredients with this advent calendar, only a brief description. I come here and see it was previously named Liquor-licious. Ah-ha!
I don’t plan on ordering 50 grams of this, but I am quite happy with it. And quite pleased with myself for identifying an actual flavor!

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 22

Ah, finally a rooibos. I expected more of them, to be honest, but it seems like B&B has gotten out of the habit of making “tea powders” that don’t contain any matcha, which I’m glad about. This one has rooibos, but it also has actual matcha as well.

It’s okay. Honestly, I don’t taste the matcha at all, mostly I get earthy ginger, licorice root, and hints of other spices on a rooibos-y base. It doesn’t taste at all like gingerbread to me (but neither does their Gingerbread Chai), more of a strong gingery chai since there is no cookie or molasses element here.

Not bad, but certainly not one I would purchase.

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 21

So I expected this one to be similar to Raspberry Ripple, but actually I find it reminds me of Nordic Berry? There’s something a touch medicinal about it that I don’t love, and almost an herbaceous minty note? I must be crazy lol, because that makes no sense for a strawberries & cream matcha…

I guess I’ll have to see how I feel about it when I try the other serving. :P

Adventageddon Day 19 – Tea 4/4

Probably my favourite of the day. In general I’m a sucker for a good banana tea, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad banana flavoured matcha. This one has a very natural banana taste to it with less creaminess than I taste in the banana flavours from 3 Leaf Tea or DT. I almost just made it iced, but in the end I went the iced latte route and I found it made for a deliciously thick and frothy taffy-like taste.

Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1DQq6tu9xP/?img_index=1

The penguin cup I drank this in was my Christmas gift from my manager, and it’s so fucking cute. She knows me so well.

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjPKGh22uDg

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 19

Ooh banana. This is nice, but doesn’t have a strong enough banana flavor for me. As an iced latte it’s very yummy and creamy, but the banana is a bit subtle and I would like it to be at the forefront. For what it’s worth, it does taste quite natural though.

But that’s okay, I already have a favorite banana matcha from 3 Leaf, he he… :3

There’s something off-putting about this one. There’s a peppery flavor in the base or something. With milk it’s okay, but it’s really not too appealing. There’s nothing about it that makes me think of cookies. The last time I had this, I drank it cold without milk and still I find it okay, but it’s mostly just murky rooibos with a bit of something else maybe. I’ll pass on the rest.

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 18

To be honest… I don’t really taste the pineapple or the coconut here? I made this as an iced latte (as always), and honestly if I were guessing the flavor, I would guess lemon. It’s quite creamy and sweet, but the only discernable flavoring I’m getting is lemon, and it must be from the peel? Perhaps a hint of piña colada in the finish?

I mean it’s still good, I’m just surprised not to taste more pineapple, and certainly more coconut.

AJRimmer Advent Day 18

I was quite surprised when this green tea brewed up pink! My first sip revealed the culprit: my old enemy hibiscus. I do understand why they would include it here, as it lends a pink color as well as a tart flavor that is appropriate to a grapefruit. But for me personally, it overwhelms the citrus flavor that I can faintly taste in the background and leaves me feeling like I’m pretty much drinking a hibiscus tea.

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 17

I feel like I’ve already two almost birthday cake-esque matcha with Mermaid and Ice Cream, but here we go ha ha.

This is definitely more cakey than the others IMO – a rich yellow cake flavor with swirls of sugary frosting on top. It has an even more buttery flavor than the ice cream version as well.

So really, it does taste like cake! Obviously birthday cake doesn’t really mean anything, but this definitely brings to mind a yellow or white cake with sweet buttercream frosting. Not sure they really need this in their lineup with those other two I mentioned are quite similar, but still tasty!

Adventageddon Day 15 – Tea 1/4

I’ve been looking forward to this one! In my head it was a real coin flip whether this would be unpleasant and medicinal tasting or not, and in the end I was really pleasantly surprised by how rich and jammy the currant and apple notes were. It reminded me a little of Ribena and a little of the apple fruit jellies I enjoy eating around the holidays. Plus, it’s always super fun when you get to match the flavour of your tea to your teaware!

I can 100% see this not being a flavour for everyone. I totally agree with Cameron that this is more of a currant forward profile and even though I enjoyed the currant flavour a great deal I think there’s still a very realistic world in which most people interpret it as medicinal. I’d definitely buy this though, if it sticks around on the B&B website long enough to still be there by the time I finish off all these mini matcha tins…

Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C049M5QuHNI/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnQUiGJES1E

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 15

Ooooh, another of their newer matcha that I’ve been wanting to try!

This one is lovely. The blackcurrant is the stronger of the two flavors, giving that classic syrupy dark berry sort of taste. Then the apple helps to lift the flavor a bit, and similar to the pear matcha, it’s quite crisp and refreshing.

Really nice pairing, and another one I would consider buying. It’s just that their matcha is quite pricey compared to my usual (3 Leaf) and I tend to fall out of the habit of drinking matcha quite often, and I wouldn’t want it to go to waste… :P

What even is this?! There is some hibiscus in it, but not an obnoxious level. It’s sweetened with stevia, but doesn’t have the weird stevia taste that I find so distracting. It really does taste like a cherry cola! The lime leaves are an uncommon addition to a blend. I think I’ve only ever had them in an Arthur Dove tea, Fairytale of New York. This blend is so weird and I love it!

I bought this on a whim and I’m really glad I did. I wish I had gotten a bigger size. I haven’t found many tea blends from this company that I really dug, but they seem to be really good at tisanes. I hope they offer it for a while because I’m not ordering again until I go through the massive bag of Baby Spice that I got and I want more of this.

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 14

Scrumptious! This one is quite strong on the flavoring, but wonderful as an iced oat latte. Getting equals parts sweet-tart raspberry jam and rich, creamy vanilla. It makes me think of a cream puff with crème pâtissière and raspberry sauce. I do notice a bit more bitterness from the matcha than usual for some reason…

Anyway, loved it! Would consider picking some up, though I find their prices painful since I’m used to 3 Leaf… :P

Adventageddeon Day 13 – Tea 4/4

Not my favourite B&B matcha, though I totally agree with Cameron that now that it’s on a matcha base instead of a rooibos one it’s much, more more enjoyable than it was prior. I did plan of having a proper bowl of this today, but the day got away from me. Thankfully I encorpoted it into my breakfast too – I had the day’s “jam” on a bagel with some chopped up apple that I’d tossed in a little of this matcha. The jam was actually a caramel and cinnamon spread though, so it was a pretty decadent breakfast. Still, the mix of spices worked with both the apple and the caramel spread and the pop of orange was just a pleasant little citrusy brightness.

Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0z38OLuPeM/?igshid=YzZhZTZiNWI3Nw==

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgO3VDNr-gQ

B&B Advent Tea #7

This is exactly what you mgiht expect from a mulled cider fruit tea. There’s a base of dried apples, some hibiscus and cranberry tartness, lots of spices like cinnamon. It really packs a punch with the strong ginger spiciness (which I like). So far I have enjoyed this hot and cold, but there isn’t anything remarkable about it. I love the ginger but cinnamon apple/cider is such a common combo that I’ve had so many similar blends.

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 13

Created a new entry for this, since the old version had a rooibos base. But apparently this year they reformulated it, and now it’s actually matcha! :P

This is quite nice, and very festive. The strongest flavor to me is orange zest, with some clove and other spices mixed in. I’m not super familiar with mince pies, but based on my limited knowledge, I would expect this to be more apple-forward? But that could be my own lack of experience talking ha ha.

To me, it’s a bit like an orange spice matcha, and I really like it! The zesty orange really brightens it up and makes it lovely for the morning. I can really taste the matcha itself as well, which I like. It’s smooth but still very prominent, giving it an earthy and grassy base.

From my advent calendar. This one wasn’t bad. Not great, but not bad. The hibiscus seemed a little muted which is how I like my hibiscus. I am not a fan of hibiscus as it comes across far to sour for my taste. The Bird and Blend herbal (caffeine free?) advent calendar has had hibby in almost every tea bag so far. That’s okay. I’ve gotten to try quite a few teas I haven’t had before.

AJRimmer Advent Day 11

AJRimmer mentioned that she prefers this one cold, so I decided to cold brew it this morning and drank it this afternoon. It brewed up the most gorgeous ruby-red color…very Christmassy. :) The flavor really didn’t read melon for me. It was fruity, but also a bit tart. I was thinking cranberry, but reading the ingredients list, I think it was actually the pomegranate I was picking up on most strongly. I wish it had been more melon-like, as I haven’t ever had a good watermelon tea that I can remember. But it was still tasty!

Tea Pop Sipdown (2529)!

I’ve just been loving my matcha tea pops lately, and this is a flavour I’ve tried that way before so it was an easy one to add into my week while also getting in a sipdown. So fresh, dewy and ripe tasting – just an excellent representation of that sweet juicy green pear flavour. If I didn’t have 3 Leaf Tea’s pear matcha in my cupboard I’d probably consider buying this one again…

Matcha Tea Pop!

Whisked up a strong concentrate of this matcha and paired it with some bright and tangy seabuckthorn juice and sparkling water! Not my prettiest drink, but dannngggg it was tasty. Super zesty and tart with a refreshingly floral golden pear finish!

Tea Photo: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1xNBKnOPeK/

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_w_h5pujmU

Adventageddon Day 11 – Tea 2/4

Finally, a new one for me! I made it iced and it was the perfect mid-afternoon refresher. Sweet, dewy and floral pear with a ripe juicy quality to go with the fresh, umami of the matcha itself. There was something so incredibly familiar about the pear flavour and I never did quite place what it was, but I really enjoyed this one regardless. Definitely my favourite of the day.

Today’s Advent Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/C0uqf7gOYTS/?img_index=1

Song Pairing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGWxJo6pQ_w

Bird & Blend Matcha Advent Calendar 2023 – Day 11

Ooh, this is one of theirs that I really wanted to try! The crisp pear scent is very promising.

It’s definitely very crisp in flavor as well, perhaps a bit too much so. I feel like it makes it taste a bit artificial and also starts to lean into astringency. I might be crazy, but I taste banana here in addition to the pear? Or I should say, something is reminding me of banana.

It’s quite good overall, with a strong pear flavor and fairly smooth matcha base. It may have been my imagination, but I felt like the matcha here looked greener than some of the others? Maybe because it has no additional ground ingredients. I don’t think I would go order a whole tin of this, but I’m enjoying what I have of it.

B&B Advent Tea #6

I enjoyed this rooibos-forward blend. Some nice dried fruit sweetness, a little bit of acidity from the fruit too. Lots of tasty warming cinnamon and a sweet rooibos base. I think rooibos pairs very well here. Unfortunately I did not get any strudel flavour. I would have liked some buttery pastry and vanilla icing notes.

Sweetness: 6/10
Sourness: 2/10
Bitterness: 0/10
Flavour Potency: 7/10

B&B Advent Tea #5

I drank this one hot yesterday but did not enjoy it hot due to the hibiscus acidity. It was pretty good once it got cold. The major flavour is sour hibiscus, followed by citrus peels (dried orange rind and maybe some dried citrus fruit pieces too), clove, and cinnamon. It is quite festive, but I think it would have been much better with a rooibos base. There was also a bit of bitterness from the orange rind that I did not enjoy.

Sweetness 1.5 or 2/10
Sourness: 8/10
Bitter: 3/10
Flavour potency: 7/10